Collected Writings of Charles Brockden Brown

Book excerpt: Charles Brockden Brown (1771–1810) was a key writer of the revolutionary era and early U.S. republic, known for his landmark novels and other writings in a variety of genres. The Collected Writings of Charles Brockden Brown presents all of Brown’s non-novelistic writings—letters, political pamphlets, fictions, periodical writings, historical writings, and poety—in a seven-volume scholarly set. This series’ volumes are edited to the highest scholarly standards and will bear the seal of the Modern Language Association Committee on Scholarly Editions (MLA-CSE). The American Register and Other Writings, 1807–1810,volume 6 of the series, assembles and presents for the first time Charles Brockden Brown’s writing from the final years of his life, including from his magisterial periodical project, the American Register. In this semi-annual periodical, Brown narrates the tumultuous political events of the United States and Europe amidst the Napoleonic Wars. In addition to providing the complete text of the “Prefaces” and “Annals” from the five volumes of the American Register, this volume also includes other late periodical writing by Brown and his prospectus for the unpublished “A System of General Geography.” Each edited text provides detailed information concerning publication history, provenance, and attribution, along with extensive scholarly annotation. A Historical Essay provides detailed contextualization of the geopolitical affairs in which Brown’s writing is steeped. A Textual Essay offers full bibliographical information and context for each edited text and explains editorial protocols for the volume.